A so called “pugilist style ale” that is “great for when you want to go a few rounds,” this is clearly a session beer—one you can have a few of and keep your wits (and motor skills) about you. Pours a clear, medium brown color, capped by an ever present off white head that dissipates to a full collar hugging the edge of the glass. Look for bold grains on the nose, full of pumpernickel bread, cocoa (a la hot cocoa), orange peel, a bit of charcoal, hints of maple syrup, and some gingerbread spice. Very nicely done: a big nose and a low ABV. The flavor is mild but ample with chocolate milk and very toasty grains. Make saltines out of pumpernickel, and they’d taste like this beer. Expect faint plum-like fruitiness ahead of a toasty, grainy, bready, finish featuring mild tea-like bitterness and a minor cherry skin aftertaste. A nice English style mild that evokes notes of any number of world class brown ales. Pair with Texas hold ‘em, and another few rounds.

About the Brewery

For a city like Philadelphia, whose rich brewing heritage was virtually wiped out, it’s difficult to overstate the importance of Yards Brewing Company. Before their founding in 1994, Philly had been without her own brewery since the last of the great old breweries, Schmidt’s, went under in 1987. While a seven year dry spell might not sound like much, 1987 dealt a major blow to beer lovers who were shocked to find out they were suddenly left without a hometown brewery for the first time in over 300 years! What was left? Bud. Miller. Coors… Were it not for the availability of another Pennsylvania brew, Yuengling, it’s likely riots would have ensued.
In 1988, collegiate wrestlers Tom Kehoe and Jon Bovit realized they could sustain their thirst for quality beer by brewing beer themselves. As they made their way through college they continued to experiment with homebrewing and shared with friends. Demand for their homebrew surged, leading them to take the leap into professional brewing. In 1994 they founded Yards Brewing Company, emptying their savings to get started and making beer in a small, garage-sized brewery in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia. Their beers caused quite a stir—these guys were crafting cask-conditioned ales on a tiny, homemade, three-barrel brewing system, and insisting that they be served by local pubs and taverns via traditional beer engines (hand-driven pumps that pull the beer from the keg.) Upon unveiling their Extra Special Ale at the Philadelphia Craft Beer Festival in April of 1995, beer drinkers in Philadelphia were flabbergasted—even the beers that were formerly available from Philly’s last breweries in the 60s, 70s and 80s, were nothing like this. Yards quickly became the forerunners in the regional craft-brewed beer scene.
We’ve run out of space to continue the story, so check out http://www.blip.tv/file/603458/ for a short film by Stephen Metzger about Philadelphia’s brewing history and more about the important role of Yards Brewing Company—it is a great tale, full of ups and downs and punctuated by what is quickly becoming a final round triumph.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (215) 634-2600 or check out their web site at www.yardsbrewing.com.

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